Electronic settlement system, electronic settlement method and cash paying method using lcd barcode displayed on mobile terminal

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are an electronic settlement system, an electronic settlement method, and a cash payment method using a barcode displayed on a mobile terminal, thereby performing member identification using the barcode including member information, electronic settlement services (such as credit card settlement, direct payment card settlement, advance payment card settlement, small amount settlement, and Giro system settlement) at various shops via a procedure verifying whether a user is an actual owner of the barcode, cash payment services via member information barcode and member identification procedures, advance payment card services by depositing a designated amount of money at a database of the bank and allowing the user to systematically use the advance card within the deposited money, and wireless banking services for transmitting and receiving various banking related data via wireless network between the bank and the members.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/475,414 filed Oct. 22, 2003, which is the National Stage ofInternational Application No. PCT/KR02/00745, filed on Apr. 23, 2002,and claims priority from and the benefit of Korean Patent ApplicationNo. 2001-21791, filed on Apr. 23, 2001, which are all herebyincorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The following description relates to an electronic settlement systemusing a LCD is barcode displayed on a mobile terminal such as a mobiletelephone terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or a pager, andmore particularly to an electronic settlement system, an electronicsettlement method, and a cash payment method using a LCD barcodedisplayed on a mobile terminal, thereby simply performing memberidentification using the LCD barcode including member information,electronic settlement services (such as credit card settlement, directpayment card settlement, advance payment card settlement, small amountsettlement, and Giro system settlement) at various shops via a procedureverifying whether a user is an actual owner of the barcode, cash paymentservices via member information barcodes and member identificationprocedures, small amount settlement services for settling trafficexpenses and for use of a vending machine without coins, advance paymentcard services by depositing a designated amount of money at a databaseof a bank and allowing a member to systematically use the advance cardwithin the deposited money, and wireless banking services fortransmitting and receiving various banking related data via wirelessnetwork between the bank and the members.

2. Discussion of the Background

Conventionally, an electronic settlement service system employs a creditcard in a form of a magnetic card, and an electronic small amountsettlement service system employs a smart card formed by installing a ICchip in a mobile telephone. In the credit card settlement system,information about a member is stored by a credit settlement terminalinstalled at a shop or a cash dispenser, and then read by a card readerof the credit settlement terminal or the cash dispenser. The creditsettlement terminal or the cash dispenser transmits the read informationto a bank system via a PSTN (public switched telephone network), therebyproviding credit card services to the member. On the other hand, in thesmart card settlement system in which the IC chip is installed withinthe mobile telephone, data corresponding to a designated amount of moneyis stored in the IC chip. Therefore, whenever the member settles thesmall amount of money using the smart card, the amount of money isdeducted from the stored total amount. Therefore, if stored total amountof the money is completely spent, the IC must be recharged.

The aforementioned conventional systems have several problems asfollows. First, it is not easy to possess a plurality of the magneticcards. As the number of banks for which a member registers increases,the number of cards issued by different banks and then possessed by themember also increases, thereby causing an inconvenience and increasingthe possibility of loss. Particularly, the number of cards possessed byone member, including department cards and customer management cards ateach shop as well as the bank credit cards, drastically increases,thereby being difficult in management.

Second, in case of the smart card, the IC chip for storing electroniccurrency is installed within the mobile terminal, thereby increasing theproduction cost of the mobile terminal. Further, after the stored moneyis completely spent, the IC chip must be recharged, thereby making themember to go to a charging station and generating an inconvenience tothe member. Further, a cash payment service cannot be provided to themember via the smart card system.

Third, since the conventional credit card service system cannot receivevarious messages from banks or department stores, it cannot variousbanking services. For example, when a member wants to receive bankingservices such as a money transfer from an account to another account,the member needs to visit the corresponding bank or use other media suchas telephone and Internet. Further, in case of introducing new productsof the banks or the department stores, the magnetic card cannot transmitand receive various service related messages.

Fourth, since the credit card service using the magnetic card and thesmart card service using the IC chip are two separate services, it isdifficult to integrate two services one thing, thereby causingcomplicate matters to the members. For example, in order to use thesmall amount settlement service, the member must possess the smart cardinstalled on the mobile terminal. On the other hand, in order to use thecash payment service, the credit card service, etc., the member mustpossess the bank card in a form of the magnetic card separately from themobile terminal. Therefore, it is impossible to provide an integratedbanking service to the members.

SUMMARY

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide an electronicsettlement system, an electronic settlement method, and a cash paymentmethod using a LCD barcode displayed on a LCD window of a mobileterminal such as a cellular phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant),or a pager, thereby removing the conventional inconvenience inpossession and danger in loss of credit cards and the conventionalinconvenience in recharge in smart cards, promoting wireless bankingservices via wireless network, and integrating the credit card serviceas settlement means and the smart card service as electronic currencymeans.

Additional features of the invention will be set forth in thedescription which follows, and in part will be apparent from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

According to an exemplary embodiment, there is provided an electronicpayment system, including: a mobile terminal to receive a barcode viawireless Internet, and to store and to display the barcode; a serversystem to store account data in a database, to verify paymentpossibility upon receiving barcode data and payment data, and to performa payment and to transmit payment result information to the shop systemif the payment is possible; a barcode scanner to read the barcodedisplayed by the mobile terminal; and a shop system to transmit thebarcode data and the payment data to the server system, and to display aresult of the payment according to the payment result informationreceived from the server system.

According to an exemplary embodiment, there is provided an electronicpayment method, including: scanning a barcode displayed by a mobileterminal and inputting payment data, wherein the barcode comprisesidentification data; transmitting the identification data and thepayment data to a server system by a shop system; verifying paymentpossibility at the server system upon receiving the identification dataand the payment data; performing a payment and transmitting paymentresult information to the shop system by the server system if thepayment is possible; and displaying a result of the payment at the shopsystem corresponding to the payment result information received from theserver system.

According to an exemplary embodiment, there is provided an electronicpayment method, including: receiving a registration request to become amember; selecting a member number and creating a barcode by the serversystem, wherein the barcode comprises identification data; transmittingthe barcode to a mobile terminal registered to the member; scanning thebarcode displayed by the mobile terminal and receiving payment data;transmitting the identification data and the payment data to the serversystem by a shop system; verifying payment possibility at the serversystem upon receiving the identification data and the payment data;performing a payment and transmitting payment result information to theshop system by the server system if the payment is possible; anddisplaying a result of the payment at the shop system corresponding tothe payment result information received from the server system.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and areintended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.Other features and aspects will be apparent from the following detaileddescription, the drawings, and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention, andtogether with the description serve to explain the principles of theinvention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an electronic settlement system using aLCD barcode displayed on a mobile terminal according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of the electronic settlement system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a bank server system according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a shop client system according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 a schematic view of a cash payment client system according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing one example of a barcode according toan exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart of an electronic settlement method using a LCDbarcode displayed on a mobile terminal according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart of a cash payment method using a LCD barcodedisplayed on a mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

Now, an electronic settlement system using a LCD barcode displayed on amobile terminal in accordance with aspects of the present invention willbe described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Inthe drawings, elements having the same or similar configurations andfunctions are denoted by the same reference numerals even though theyare depicted in different drawings.

In an electronic settlement system, a mobile terminal 100, a computer200, a bank server system 300, a shop client system 400, and a cashpayment client system 500 are connected together via cable and wirelessInternet.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the electronic settlement system using theLCD barcode displayed on the mobile terminal according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention. With reference to FIG. 1, theelectronic settlement system comprises the mobile terminal 100, thecomputer 200, the bank server system 300, a barcode scanner 600, and theshop client system 400, and the cash payment client system 500. Usersregister for the electronic settlement system to become members of thesystem using the mobile terminal 100 via wireless Internet. Further, themobile terminal 100 serves to receive and store the LCD barcode viawireless Internet. The users also register for the electronic settlementsystem to become members of the system using the computer 200 viaInternet. When the users register for the electronic settlement system,the bank server system 300 creates individual barcodes for each memberand transmits the created barcodes to the mobile terminal 100 of thecorresponding member. Further, when the bank server system 300 receivesa request for user's identification and a settlement request, the bankserver system 300 responds to each request and transmits a result of theuser's identification and a settlement authentication. The scanner 600serves to read the LCD barcode displayed on the mobile terminal 100. Theshop client system 400 receives inputted data including a total amountto be settled and a member's password as well as the LCD barcode scannedby the scanner 600, and requests the bank server system 300 to identifythe user and to settle the amount. Then, the shop client system 400 isnotified of the result of the user's identification and the settlementauthentication by the bank server system 300, performs the settlementtransaction, and outputs a settlement slip to the user. The cash paymentclient system 500 receives inputted data including a total amount to bepaid and a member's password as well as the LCD barcode scanned by thescanner 600, and requests the bank server system 300 to identify theuser and to verify the possibility of cash payment. Then, the cashpayment client system 500 is notified of the result of the user'sidentification and the result of the verification of the cash paymentpossibility by the bank server system 300, performs the cash payment,and outputs a payment statement to the user.

The mobile terminal 100 serves to store and display the LCD barcode dataof the members received via wireless Internet and to transmit/receivevarious messages for wireless banking service in connection with thebank server system 300. Herein, the front part the LCD barcode datarepresents a designated bank. Therefore, a plurality of the barcodesrepresenting different banks may be stored by the mobile terminal 100and then the user may select one from these barcodes according todesired banks.

The computer 200 is used as a terminal unit for inputting memberinformation data and transmitting related response messages upon memberregistration and log-on. Further, the computer 200 serves to receive allinformation and various messages in connection with the banking servicetransmitted from the bank server system 300.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of the electronic settlement system of FIG. 1.With reference to FIG. 2, the arrows P1 and P1′ show the memberapplication, the arrow P2 shows the barcode transmission, the arrows P3and P3′ show the barcode scan, the arrows P4 and P4′ show the input ofthe scanned barcode, the arrows P5 and P5′ show the request for theuser's identification, the arrows P6 and P6′ show the result of theuser's identification, the arrow P7 shows the request for the chargesettlement, and the arrow P8 shows the result of the charge settlement.The arrow P7′ shows the request for the cash payment and the arrow P8′shows the result of the cash payment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the bank server system 300 according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention. With reference to FIG. 3,the bank server system 300 has several functions, such as an accountmanagement function for credit card service, an account balance checkfunction for small amount settlement service allowing the electronicsettlement of traffic expenses and the use of a vending machine withoutcoins, a deposit managing and balance check function for advance paymentcard service allowing the user to use an advance payment card chargedwith a designated amount of money. Further, the bank server system 300has a cable and wireless banking service function. Via the cable andwireless banking service of the bank server system 300, the memberreceives services such as account checking and money transfer into otheraccounts, and various new product recommendations. In order to performthese functions, the bank server system 300 is connected to the computer200, the shop client system 400, and the cash payment client system 500via cable Internet, and to the member's mobile terminal 100 via wirelessInternet.

The aforementioned bank server system 300 includes a controller 310, amonitor 320, and a keyboard 330. The controller 310 controls the membermanagement, the barcode creation, the account management, the database,and the security management functions. The monitor 320 outputs a screenby the control of the controller 310.

The controller 310 includes a member management unit 311, a barcodecreation unit 312, an account management unit 313, a database 314, awireless banking service unit 315, and a cable and wireless Internetconnection unit 317. The member management unit 311 manages registrationand cancellation of membership. The barcode creation unit 312 creates amember's specific barcode. The account management unit 313 manages thewhole transaction history of the member's account and verifies themember's settlement possibility upon receiving a request for theelectronic settlement service from the shop client system 400. Thedatabase 314 stores and manages various data including member'sinformation data, barcode data, account data, maintenance and managementdata relating to the system operation, and data for Internet bankingservices. The wireless banking service unit 315 performs wirelessbanking services and verifies the possibility of cash payment uponreceiving a request for the cash payment service from the cash paymentclient system 500, and the cable and wireless Internet connection unit317 performs cable and wireless Internet connection functions.

The member management unit 311 informs the users of a contract, aservice introduction, a member registration procedure, etc. Upon themember registration, the member management unit 311 stores names,resident registration numbers, mobile terminal numbers, telephonenumbers, addresses, genders, occupations, etc., inputted by the members,in the database 314. Upon the member cancellation, the member managementunit 311 clears the database 314, including the above data of themember. Further, the member management unit 311 stores a history showingall services provided from the bank server system 300 to the member, andcreates a congratulatory message and transmits it to the cable andwireless Internet connection unit 317 on a member's special occasionsuch as a birthday or a wedding anniversary. When the admission of themember is completed, the member management unit 311 requests the barcodecreation unit 312 to create the member's specific barcode.

The barcode creation unit 312 receives the request for the member'sspecific barcode from the member management unit 311 and creates barcodedata including a bank code and a check code. The created barcode istransmitted to the cable and wireless Internet connection unit 317.

The barcode, for example, consists of eighteen spaces. Herein, middlefourteen spaces create a member code corresponding to a member number,and then whether this member number is already used by the existingmember is checked. The first two spaces create a bank code, and the lasttwo spaces create a check code.

The account management unit 313 has a function of managing thetransactions of the account of the member. When the member performs amoney deposit or a money transfer from an account to another account,the account management unit 313 updates the balance of the member'saccount and stores the corresponding data in the database 314.

Further, upon receiving a request for the electronic settlement servicefrom a shop, the account management unit 313 performs a function ofverifying the member's settlement possibility. In case of the advancepayment service, the account management unit 313 verifies whether thepayment amount of the member is more than a limit, i.e., a predeterminedlimit of his/her advance payment card. If the payment of the member ismore than the limit, the account management unit 313 notifies the memberof a settlement impossible message via the network. Upon receiving arequest for the balance check from the member management unit 311 or thewireless banking service unit 315, the account management unit 313checks the database regarding to the account of the corresponding memberand then notifies the member management unit 311 or the wireless bankingservice unit 315 of the balance condition.

A system and security management unit 316 serves to entirely maintainand manage the bank server system 300, to protect the bank server system300 from being invaded by hackers, and to find out the invasions of thehackers. Further, the system and security management unit 316 serves toprevent the data conversion, which may occur at the time of transmittingand receiving the data via the network, and to authenticate the members.

The cable and wireless Internet connection unit 317 performs an Internetprotocol function necessary upon the member registration/log-on and theInternet banking, and serves to transmit various messages for wirelessbanking services as well as the aforementioned barcode.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the shop client system 400 according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention. With reference to FIG. 4,the shop client system 400 is arranged at individual shops. The shopclient system 400 performs various procedures and functions for theelectronic settlement by the member. A barcode scanner for scanning theLCD barcode displayed on the member's mobile terminal is installed onthe shop client system 400. The shop client system 400 comprises a shopcontroller 410, a monitor 420, and a keyboard 430.

The shop controller 410 comprises a settlement processing unit 411, asales slip output unit 412, a user identification processing unit 413,and a network connection unit 414. The settlement processing unit 411performs the settlement transaction according to the notification of theuser identification. The sales slip output unit 412 outputs a salesslip. The user identification processing unit 413 identifies the user.The network connection unit 414 serves to be connected to Internet.

The user identification processing unit 413 outputs a message saying,“Input a password” on the monitor 420. Then, the member inputs his/herpassword via the keyboard 430. The user identification processing unit413 transmits the password inputted by the member to the bank serversystem 300 via the network connection unit 414 and requests the bankserver system 300 to identify the user. Based on the user identificationresult transmitted from the bank server system 300, the useridentification processing unit 413 outputs a message saying “Input againa password” or “Settlement impossible”. When the user is identified asthe member, the user identification processing unit 413 notifies thesettlement processing unit 411 of this fact.

The settlement processing unit 411 finds out a relevant bank, whichissues the member's settlement account, using the first two spaces ofthe barcode data read by the barcode scanner 600 as shown in FIG. 6, andthen determines a member code including sixteen spaces using the fronttwo spaces and the middle fourteen spaces representing the member'snumber of the barcodes. Then, the settlement processing unit 411 outputsa message saying “Input a total amount to be settled using a keyboard”.When a shop clerk inputs the total amount to be settled via the keyboard430, the settlement processing unit 411 is connected to the relevantbank server system 300 using the member code via the network connectionunit 414 and requests the bank server system 300 to check the balance onthe member's account. When the bank server system 300 notifies thesettlement processing unit 411 of the settlement possibility via thenetwork connection unit 414, the settlement processing unit 411 notifiesthe user identification processing unit 413 that the user is actually anowner of the barcode. Then, when the user identification processing unit413 notifies the settlement processing unit 411 of the useridentification, the settlement processing unit 411 transmits the membernumber and the settlement amount to the sales slip output unit 412.

The sales slip output unit 412 serves to output the sales slip forsignature by the member through a printer. After the member signshis/her name on the outputted sale slip, one sheet of the signed slipsis given to the member and the remaining two sheets are stored by theshop.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the cash payment client system 500according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Withreference to FIG. 5, the cash payment client system 500 includes acontroller 510, a monitor 520, a keyboard 530, and a cash dispenser 540for providing the corresponding amount of cash to the member accordingto the notification of cash payment possibility. The controller 510includes a cash payment processing unit 511 for processing the cashpayment, a statement output unit 512 for outputting a detailed statementfor payment, a user identification processing unit 513, and a networkconnection unit 514. The user identification processing unit 513requests the bank server system 300 to identify the user, therebyperforming the identification of the user. The network connection unit514 connects the user identification processing unit 513 to Internet.

The cash payment processing unit 511 requests via the monitor 520 themember to input his/her password, and then transmits the inputtedpassword by the keyboard 530 to the user identification processing unit513. Further, the cash payment processing unit 511 receives the paymentamount data inputted by the keyboard 530 and requests the correspondingbank server system 300 to check the member's account and the balance ofthe account via the network connection unit 514. Then, in case the cashpayment is possible, the cash payment processing unit 511 notifies thecash dispenser 540 of the cash payment possibility.

The user identification processing unit 513 requests the bank serversystem 300 to verify whether the member number of the LCD barcode andthe password are identical with the stored data of the bank serversystem 300 via the radio Internetwork by the network connection unit514. In case the member number of the LCD barcode and the password arenot identical with the stored data of the bank server system 300, theuser identification processing unit 513 requests the user to input againhis/her password or outputs a message saying “Unusable” on the monitor520. On the other hand, in case the member number of the LCD barcode andthe password are identical with the stored data of the bank serversystem 300, the user identification processing unit 513 notifies thecash payment processing unit 511 of this fact.

The barcode scanner 600 scans the LCD barcode including eighteen spacesdisplayed on the LCD window of the mobile terminal 100 as shown in FIG.6 and decodes the sixteen spaces corresponding to the member codeincluding the bank code and the member's number using the last twospaces corresponding to the check code. The barcode scanner 600transmits the decoded barcode data to the shop client system 400 or thecash payment client system 500.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing an example of the barcode accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. With reference toFIG. 6, even though the exemplary embodiment shown uses a firstdimensional barcode, the barcode is not limited to its code type. Asshown in FIG. 6, the barcode consists of eighteen bars definingindividual decimal numbers. The first two bars serve to represent thebank code of the corresponding bank. Since one member usually possessesa plurality of bank cards, two bars are provided to recognize departmentcards and various services using barcodes as well as various bank cards.The middle fourteen bars represent the member number and serves torecognize the user as the member of each bank. The last two barsrepresent the check code for checking whether the barcode data iscorrect or not. Since except for the check code, total sixteen barscorrespond to sixteen single numbers of a conventional credit card, theconventional bank card number may be directly changed to the barcode.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart of an electronic settlement method using the LCDbarcode displayed on the mobile terminal according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a flow chart of acash payment method using the LCD barcode displayed on the mobileterminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the operation of the exemplary embodiments will bedescribed in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

With reference to FIGS. 1 to 7, the electronic settlement method and thecash payment method using the LCD barcode displayed on the mobileterminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventionare described. In the step (a), a user is connected to the bank serversystem 300 via the computer 200 or the mobile terminal 100 and registersfor the system 300 to become a member. Then, the bank server system 300provides a specific barcode to the registered member. That is, in orderto receive the electronic settlement service, the user registers for thesystem as the member on-line or off-line. Herein, the on-lineregistration methods are divided into two types. One method uses thecomputer 200 and the other method uses the mobile terminal 100. When theuser is registered as the member using the aforementioned methods, thebank server system 300 stores a member's information including a name, aresident registration number, a mobile terminal number, a telephonenumber, an address, gender, occupation, etc., in its internal database.Further, the bank server system 300 creates barcodes according to themembers or the accounts, and transmits the created barcodes to themobile terminals 100 of the corresponding members via wireless Internet,thereby displaying the barcodes on the LCD window of the mobileterminals 100 of the members.

More particularly, in order to register for the system to become amember, the user is connected to the bank server system 300 via thepersonal computer 200. Then, the member management unit 311 of the bankserver system 300 informs the users of the contract, the serviceintroduction, the member registration procedure, etc., and stores thenames, the resident registration numbers, the mobile terminal numbers,the telephone numbers, the addresses, the genders, the occupations,etc., inputted by the members, in the database 314. Upon the membercancellation, the member management unit 311 clears the database 314,including the above data of the member. Further, the member managementunit 311 stores a history showing all services provided from the bankserver system 300 to the member, and creates a congratulatory messageand then transmits it to the cable and wireless Internet connection unit317 on a member's special occasion such as a birthday or a weddinganniversary, thereby more organically and systematically performing themember management.

When the registration of the member is completed, the member managementunit 311 requests the barcode creation unit 312 to create the member'sspecific barcode. Herein, the barcode creation unit 312 receives therequest for the member's specific barcode from the member managementunit 311 and selects a member number consisting of sixteen singlenumbers. Whether the member number is already used by the existingmember is checked. For example, since the first two bars represent thebank code, each bank may substantially set a member number includingfourteen bars. After the last two bars are created as the check code,the barcode data consisting of eighteen bars as shown in FIG. 6 arecreated. (S71).

Next, in the step (b), the barcode conferred on each member istransmitted to the mobile terminal 100 of the corresponding member. Thatis, the created barcode is transmitted to the cable and wirelessInternet connection unit 317 of the bank server system 300, and then thecable and wireless Internet connection unit 317 outputs the transmittedbarcode to the mobile terminal 100 of the corresponding member viamobile communication network. Thereby, the registered member can use thebarcode displayed on the LCD window of his/her mobile terminal 100.

After the member registration is completed, the account management isperformed. Herein, the account management unit 313 of the bank serversystem 300 manages the transaction history of the account of the member,and all the changes of the account data are stored in the database 314.Via the above account management, the account management unit 313performs the account check function, upon receiving a request for theaccount checking from the shop client system 400 or the cash paymentclient system 500. The account management is processed at any time.After the member registration and the account checking are completed,the barcode transmission is performed. Herein, the member managementunit 311 of the bank server system 300 transmits the created barcode tothe mobile terminal 100 of the newly registered member by the cable andwireless Internet connection unit 317.

Herein, the mobile terminal 100 of the member receives and stores theLCD barcode data of the member from the bank server system 300 viawireless Internet, and then, if necessary, exhibits the stored barcodeon its LCD window. The mobile terminal 100 in connection with the bankserver system 300 performs functions of transmitting and receivingvarious messages for wireless banking services. Particularly, since thefront part the LCD barcode data represents the bank code, a plurality ofthe barcodes representing different banks may be stored by the mobileterminal 100 and then the user may select one from these barcodesaccording to desired banks.

As described above, the barcode transmitted from the bank server system300 is received by the mobile terminal 100 of the member via wirelessnetwork, thereby performing the barcode transmission. The receivedbarcode is stored by the mobile terminal 100 and then is exhibited foruse at the shop or the cash dispenser. Since each bank has an identicalbarcode system, the member may store a plurality of the barcodesrepresenting different banks in his/her mobile terminal 100 as many ashis/her accounts. (S72)

Hereinafter, the electronic settlement method using the LCD barcodedisplayed on the mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention is described in more detail.

In the step (c), the barcode stored by the mobile terminal 100 of themember, the password of the member, and the amount to be settled areinputted. That is, when the member wants to perform the electronicsettlement, the member first selects a desired bank and exhibits thecorresponding barcode on the LCD window his/her mobile terminal 100. Theexhibited barcode is scanned by the barcode scanner 600 installed on acounter of the shop or a cash dispenser. That is, when the memberexhibits the LCD barcode in order to receive the credit card service orthe cash payment service, the LCD barcode is scanned by the barcodescanner 600 and then transmitted to the shop client system 400. Then, amember's password is inputted to the shop client system 400 by thekeyboard 430. As described above, when the member wants to perform theelectronic settlement, the scanned barcode data by the scanner 600 istransmitted to the settlement processing unit 411 of the shop clientsystem 400 (S73).

Next, in the step (d), the shop client system 400 transmits barcodedata, the member's password, and the total amount to be settled,inputted via Internet, to the bank server system 300 and requests thebank server system 300 to settle the total amount. That is, thesettlement processing unit 411 find outs a corresponding bank using thefirst two numbers of the barcode data, i.e., the bank code, and thendetermines a member code including total sixteen numbers, using thefirst two numbers representing the bank code and the middle fourteennumbers representing the member's number of the barcodes. Then, thesettlement processing unit 411 outputs a message saying “Input a totalamount to be settled by a keyboard” on the monitor 420. Next, thesettlement processing unit 411 of the shop client system 400 isconnected to the corresponding bank server system 300 via the networkconnection unit 414 and requests the corresponding bank server system300 to check the member's account and the balance on the member'saccount. (S74)

In the step (e), upon receiving the request for the electronicsettlement from the shop client system, the bank server system 300verifies the member's settlement possibility. In case the settlement ispossible, the bank server system 300 performs the settlement andtransmits settlement completion data to the requested shop client system400. On the other hand, in case the settlement is impossible, the bankserver system 300 transmits settlement impossibility data to therequested shop client system 400.

More specifically, the bank server system 300 performs severalfunctions, such as an account management function for credit cardservice, an account balance check function for small amount settlementservice allowing the electronic settlement of traffic expenses and theuse of the vending machine without coins, a deposit managing and balancecheck function for advance payment card service allowing the user to usean advance payment card charged with a designated amount of money.Further, the bank server system 300 performs a cable and wirelessbanking service function for providing to the members services such asaccount checking and money transfer from an account to another accountand introducing to the members various new products of the bank viaradio or wireless network.

Upon receiving the request for the electronic settlement service fromthe shop client system 400, the account management unit 313 of the bankserver system 300 performs the function of verifying the member'ssettlement possibility. When the settlement is possible, in case of theadvance payment service, the account management unit 313 verifieswhether the payment amount of the member is more than a limit, i.e., apredetermined limit of his/her advance payment card. In case the paymentamount is not more than the limit, the account management unit 313performs the settlement and notifies the requested shop client system400 of a settlement result. On the other hand, in case the paymentamount is more than the limit, the account management unit 313 notifiesthe shop client system 400 of a settlement impossible message via thenetwork. Further, upon receiving the request for the balance check, theaccount management unit 313 checks the database regarding to the accountof the corresponding member and then transmits the checked balancecondition. (S75-S77).

Finally, in the step (f), in case the settlement completion data aretransmitted to the requested shop client system 400, the shop clientsystem 400 processes the settlement transaction. On the other hand, incase the settlement impossibility data are transmitted to the requestedshop client system 400, the shop client system 400 displays the reasonof the settlement impossibility via a screen.

When the shop client system 400 receives the settlement possibilitymessage from the bank server system 300, the user identificationprocessing unit 413 of the shop client system 400 verifies whether theuser is an actual owner of the barcode. After the electronic settlementis completed via the user identification, the sales slip output unit 412of the shop client system 400 outputs a sales slip for signature by themember through a printer.

In case the settlement is impossible due to bad credit or balancedeficiency, the user identification processing unit 413 outputs amessage saying “Input again a password” or “Settlement impossible” viathe monitor based on the user identification result transmitted from thebank server system 300. (S78 and S79).

As described above, the sales slip output unit 412 serves to output thesales slip for signature by the member through the printer. After themember signs his/her name on the outputted sale slip, one sheet of thesigned slips is given to the member and the remaining two sheets arestored by the shop.

Hereinafter, the cash payment method using the LCD barcode displayed onthe mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention is described in more detail.

With reference to FIGS. 1 to 8, the cash payment system includes thesame steps (a) to (c) as the aforementioned electronic settlementmethod. Therefore, the steps (a) to (c) of the cash payment system areomitted, and subsequent steps of the cash payment system are describedbelow.

In the step (d), the cash payment client system 500 transmits theinputted barcode data, member's password, and total amount to be paid,to the bank server system 300 and requests the bank server system 300 topay this amount. (S81 and S82).

The cash payment client system 500 performs various procedures andfunctions for providing the cash payment service. Similarly to theaforementioned shop client system 400, when a member wants to performthe cash payment, the member exhibit his/her LCD barcode on the LCDwindow his/her mobile terminal 100. The exhibited barcode is scanned bythe barcode scanner 600. The barcode scanner 600 transmits the scannedLCD barcode to the cash payment processing unit 511 of the cash paymentclient system 500.

Herein, the cash payment processing unit 511 requests via the monitor510 the member to input his/her password, and then transmits theinputted password by the keyboard 530 to the user identificationprocessing unit 513. The user identification processing unit 513 of thecash payment client system 500 is connected to the corresponding bankserver system 300 via radio Internetwork by the network connection unit514 and requests the corresponding bank server system 300 to verifywhether the member number of the LCD barcode and the password areidentical with the stored data of the bank server system 300.

Next, the cash payment processing unit 511 receives the amount to bepaid, inputted by the keyboard, and requests the bank server system 300to check the member's account and the balance on the member's accountvia the network connection unit 514.

In the step (e), upon receiving the request for the cash payment from acash payment client system 500, the bank server system 300 verifies themember's cash payment possibility. In case the cash payment is possible,the bank server system 300 transmits cash payment possibility data tothe requested cash payment client system 500. On the other hand, in casethe cash payment is impossible, the bank server system 300 transmitscash payment impossibility data to the requested cash payment clientsystem 500. (S84 and S85).

Finally, in the step (f), in case the cash payment possibility data aretransmitted to the requested cash payment client system 500, the cashpayment client system 500 processes the cash payment and outputs adetailed statement for payment. On the other hand, in case the cashpayment impossibility data are transferred to the requested cash paymentclient system 500, the cash payment client system 500 displays thereason of the settlement impossibility via a screen.

More specifically, in case the member number of the LCD barcode and thepassword are not identical with the stored data of the bank serversystem 300, the user identification processing unit 513 of the cashpayment client system 500 requests the member to input again his/herpassword or outputs a message saying “Unusable” on the monitor 520. Onthe other hand, in case the member number of the LCD barcode and thepassword are identical with the stored data of the bank server system300, the user identification processing unit 513 notifies the cashpayment processing unit 511 of this fact. Then, the cash paymentprocessing unit 511 requests the member to input the amount of cash tobe paid, and in case the cash payment is possible, gives the member cashof the inputted amount via the cash dispenser 540. (S86 and S87).

Herein, the statement output unit 512 outputs the detailed statement forpayment. After the electronic settlement is completed via the useridentification, the cash payment processing unit 511 gives the memberthe corresponding cash via the cash dispenser 540 and outputs thedetailed statement including payment data via statement output unit 512,thereby providing the cash payment service.

In accordance with the above-described exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention, the members perform the settlement transaction atshops or the cash payment using the mobile terminal.

As described above, exemplary embodiments of the present inventionprovide an electronic settlement system, an electronic settlementmethod, and a cash payment method using a LCD barcode displayed on amobile terminal, thereby providing electronic settlement services to themembers at shops by transmitting a member's specific barcode from a bankto a member's mobile terminal via wireless network and using thebarcode, small amount settlement services for settling traffic expensesand for use of a vending machine without coins, advance payment cardservices by depositing a designated amount of money at a database of thebank and allowing the user to systematically use the advance card withinthe deposited money, and wireless banking services for transmitting andreceiving various banking related data via wireless network between thebank and the members. Therefore, the electronic settlement system safelyand synthetically performs various credit card services and bankingservices only with the mobile terminal.

As apparent from the above description, exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention provide an electronic settlement system, an electronicsettlement method, and a cash payment method using a LCD barcodedisplayed on a mobile terminal.

1. The electronic settlement system according to an embodiment of thepresent invention uses a portable mobile terminal, thereby removing theconventional inconvenience in possession of numerous credit cards.

2. Barcode data transmitted from individual banks are stored by themobile terminal, thereby simplifying the management compared to theconventional system with a plurality of cards.

3. The electronic settlement system according to an embodiment of thepresent invention uses LCD barcodes instead of the conventional magneticcards, thereby reducing the cost in producing the cards.

4. The conventional magnetic credit card for credit card service waseasily lost by carelessness of a user, and a long time is required toreissue a new credit card. The electronic settlement system according toan embodiment of the present invention eliminates the possibility ofloss and provides a swift service.

5. The conventional IC card for smart card service with an electroniccurrency function must be recharged after completely spending the storedmoney. The electronic settlement system according to an embodiment ofthe present invention eliminates this requirement and provides aconvenience.

6. The conventional magnetic credit card cannot be connected vianetwork. On the other hand, since the mobile terminal employed by theelectronic settlement system according to an embodiment of the presentinvention transmits and receives various messages, it performs variousbanking services.

7. The small amount settlement service of the smart card service and thecredit card service can be integrated as the electronic settlementsystem according to an embodiment of the present invention.

8. The electronic settlement system according to an embodiment of thepresent invention performs additional services relevant to customermanagement as well as settlement services in department stores.

9. The electronic settlement system according to an embodiment of thepresent invention is connected to a customer management system forproviding tickets, coupons, and other customer card services using LCDbarcodes of the mobile terminal, thereby allowing the users to simplyand conveniently use the system.

Although exemplary embodiments of the present invention have beendisclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art willappreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions arepossible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the inventionas disclosed in the accompanying claims and their equivalents.

1. An electronic payment system, comprising: a mobile terminal to storeand to display the barcode; a server system to store account data in adatabase, to verify payment possibility upon receiving barcode data andpayment data, and to perform a payment and to transmit payment resultinformation to a shop system if the payment is possible; a barcodescanner to read the barcode displayed by the mobile terminal; and theshop system to transmit the barcode data and the payment data to theserver system, and to display a result of the payment according to thepayment result information received from the server system.
 2. Theelectronic payment system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the serversystem transmits payment impossibility information to the shop system ifthe payment is impossible, wherein the shop system displays a reason ofthe payment impossibility corresponding to the payment impossibilityinformation received from the server system.
 3. The electronic paymentsystem as set forth in claim 1, wherein the server system determines auser number upon member registration, and stores member information dataand account data in a database.
 4. An electronic payment method,comprising: scanning a barcode displayed by a mobile terminal andinputting payment data, wherein the barcode comprises identificationdata; transmitting the identification data and the payment data to aserver system by a shop system; verifying payment possibility at theserver system upon receiving the identification data and the paymentdata; performing a payment and transmitting payment result informationto the shop system by the server system if the payment is possible; anddisplaying a result of the payment at the shop system corresponding tothe payment result information received from the server system.
 5. Theelectronic payment method as set forth in claim 4, further comprising:transmitting payment impossibility information to the shop system by theserver system if the payment is impossible; and displaying a reason ofthe payment impossibility corresponding to the payment impossibilityinformation received from the server system.
 6. An electronic paymentmethod, comprising: receiving a membership registration request;selecting a member number and determining a barcode by the serversystem, wherein the barcode comprises identification data; transmittingthe barcode to a mobile terminal registered to a member; scanning thebarcode displayed by the mobile terminal and receiving payment data;transmitting the identification data and the payment data to the serversystem by a shop system; verifying payment possibility at the serversystem upon receiving the identification data and the payment data;performing a payment and transmitting payment result information to theshop system by the server system if the payment is possible; anddisplaying a result of the payment at the shop system corresponding tothe payment result information received from the server system.
 7. Theelectronic payment method as set forth in claim 6, further comprising:transmitting payment impossibility information to the shop system by theserver system if the payment is impossible; and displaying a reason ofthe payment impossibility corresponding to the payment impossibilityinformation received from the server system.